Scientists warn that if global warming continues unabated, it will weaken further, and could reduce by about 34% to 45% by the end of this century, bringing it closer to a 'tipping point'
Gulf Stream System at its weakest in over a millennium
Never before in over 1000 years the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as Gulf Stream System, has been as weak as in the last decades. This is the result of a new study by scientists from Ireland, Britain and Germany. The researchers compiled so-called proxy data – taken mainly from natural archives like ocean sediments or ice cores – reaching back many hundreds of years to reconstruct the flow history of the AMOC. They found consistent evidence that its slowdown in the 20th century is unprecedented in the past millennium – it is likely linked to human-caused climate change. The giant ocean circulation is relevant for weather patterns in Europe and regional sea-levels in the US; its slowdown is also associated with an observed ‘cold blob’ in the northern Atlantic.
How climate change paved the way to war in Syria
Researchers agree that climate change alone cannot be blamed for the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011. However, neither can it be ignored as a reason the once blossoming country has become a parched, war-torn place.
Drought, war, and no peace in sight - life for most Syrians remains a challenge including having enough potable water Syria serves as prime example for the impact of climate change on pre-existing issues such as political instability, poverty and scarce resources, Jamal Saghir, Professor at the Institute for the Study of International Development at McGill University, told DW. Saghir, a former director at the World Bank, considers climate change the world s biggest threat to security. He therefore sees the recent acknowledgment of climate change as a national security issue by US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, on January 27, as game changer when it comes to recognizing the link between climate change and